We distributed the Dinky Dice Games to nearly 60 schools and they have been really well received. We had lots of positive feedback from teachers on the positive engagement with pupils.

Nicola supplied us with a range of activity tins and a family/carer workshop video for our Foster Family training event in September. We packaged these in gift bags for families to take home to help make learning fun. Sharing products at these events has strengthened our engagement with families. The feedback has been that these resources are appealing for children as they are packaged as gifts and games (unlike typical homework). Families like that the activity tins are portable and offer an alternative to sitting at the table to learn. We look forward to offering the additional activity tins and the times table tutorials as a sweetener for our forthcoming coffee morning with foster families this December. And we hope that by sharing the link to the Starting School group we can continue to build further engagement with families and carers.

Thank you for the resources for our foster carer conference. I have shared details of your products with the other North-West Virtual School Heads - I hope you receive further interest! (Purchased a range of activity tins for foster families to supplement ''The Power of Reading ' foster carer training)

Nicola from Happy Home Learning has supported the work of Cumbria and Cumberland Virtual School for several years now, creating and supplying Dinky Dice resources to Cumbrian Schools in 2021, supporting our drive to improve early numeracy outcomes. Recently, Nicola has partnered with my work within Cumberland Virtual School, developing and facilitating the ‘Social Workers as Reading Champions’ project for Children with a Social Worker. Nicola has trained, equipped and supported social workers to take an active role in reading with children during their statutory visits. She provides drop-in feedback and on-going sessions for social workers. Working alongside the virtual school she is supporting the pathway to a future where most CP/CIN visits use reading as a powerful social work tool and promoting the confidence in and love of reading. Social Workers in the pilot have access to Reading Refreshers, Tricky Word and Dinky Dice tins. Nicola’s resources, skills and experience are invaluable to Virtual Schools seeking to promote the education of children in practical and meaningful ways in school and at home. Virtual Schools across England would benefit from knowledge of the resources and support Happy Home Learning can offer.

Nicola from Happy Home Learning presented her fantastic learning resources at our Fostering Conference earlier this year. It is clear to see Nicola’s passion and creativity is infused in every aspect of her work, and this came across naturally as she reminded carers that play is at the heart of learning, especially for younger children.

The sessions were really helpful. They were arranged on a day and a time which was most convenient for me - when my 3 children were in school.  It was useful to meet someone with the knowledge to pass on, someone with the ideas who is easy to speak to and wouldn't judge me. I found it helpful meeting 1-1 with Nicola because what works for one child won't necessarily work for another child - every child is different. We foster 3 children and used to get lots of feedback when my eldest was in reception but I have no idea what is expected in year 1. I hadn't realised they were learning to count in 2s 5s and 10s and now have some simple, fun games to play to practise chanting these and games to support number bonds that we can all play together as my year 1 boy has been finding this hard. It will be useful to have games that don't always use a screen as a lot of the year 1 maths homework is on a screen. Nicola has written up notes from our sessions and emailed these to me to helpfully refer back to. She asked me if I would find it more useful to have these printed and sent through the post. I much prefer receiving information on paper so she's going to send me the summary notes with the activity tins and tutorials instead.